This is another attempt at turning this into a Brooks debate, and I won\'t bite. No sense in that 08. I think we can see your answer was something less than a complete one(that it was anything at all related to the question is questionable). In my opinion it didn\'t even address the question. But that\'s ok.

I\'m not addressing which QB had the better game this year or which one might have the better game next year. I\'m on record as saying I have nothing against Jake. I\'m on record saying I think Jake has done well and continues to get better. What I\'m attempting to ask you is a very simple (in my opinion) question about why Jake went undiscovered for so long. The root of the question is centered around your attempt to push this ridiculous (in my opinion) idea of some sort of conspiracy theory that you say Haz had against Jake. If you don\'t want to answer then that\'s fine. If you\'d like to honestly answer then that\'s fine too. If you wanna turn this into a Brooks vs. Delhomme debate you\'re welcome to try, but for me, your refusal to give a complete, relative answer is really all the answer I need.

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Why, in your opinion, did Jake go undrafted, fail to start in NFL Europe, and get passed over by one of the (generally considered) great talent evaluators (Bill Parcells) in the game today?

Uh, Saintfan, can I see some proof that says that Parcells decided Delhomme was not good enough to pursue? Can you show me some quotes or news reports?

How do you know that Carolina didn\'t offer more or offer first? How do you know that Parcells didn\'t like Delhomme, but had more glaring needs on a bad team? How do you know Jake didn\'t just decide that he would rather be in Carolina?

Let\'s get to the root of the argument... actually there have been two thus far:

1. Some of us say that Haslett\'s decision NOT to play Delhomme at the end of the \'02 season was a mistake. Some may say it is a conspiracy while others, like myself, simply think that Haslett misdiagnosed Brooks\' injury and didn\'t want a quarterback controversy. While no one can say with certainty that the Saints WOULD have made the playoffs with Delhomme at the helm you can\'t argue that playing Brooks certainly didn\'t get us there.

2. Many of us feel now, or have felt in the past, that Delhomme is a better option for the Saints. We cite his leadership, intelligence, and obvious ability to learn and improve as reasons, and believe that those qualities outweigh Brooks\' athleticism. We also cite Brooks\' leadership, \"apparent\" focus/dedication questions, and inability to progess as problems. If you believe BillyC, which we all know I do (at least in his ability to accurately quote Bill Parcells ), then the better quarterback is one who quickly distributes the ball to the true playmakers on the team (WRs, RBs, and TEs), and understands his job is not to be THE playmaker. I, for one, have argued exactly that when talking about the type of QB I think the Saints need. I can find quotes if you would like. Additionally, I have suggested that leadership, dedication, smarts, and selflessness are not amongst Brooks\' strong points.

AFC scout: \"He\'s not a detail guy. I get the feeling that Brooks isn\'t a worker or a studier. That scares you for a guy who\'s going to get barely any practice reps and will have to learn in the classroom.\"

NFC scout: \"Maybe there\'s some hope for him as a wide receiver. He\'s a great athlete. Horrible quarterback.\"

\"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn\'t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed.\" - George S. Patton
On another note, I\'ll take a bite of that crow 08. - Saintfan
Brooks is a moron!! - Halo

I\'m sorry but I think Jake is doing alot better than Dilfer. You never wanted to put the game in Dilfer\'s hands, and couple of times this year when the Panthers were down late they went to the air and Jake put them in a position to win. Delhomme has done alot better than some on this board give him credit for. Notice: I am not saying we should have him at QB b/c there is no point to it. Brooks will be our QB for another year and that\'s the fact and I\'m living with that; however, I can help but feel that some are just trying to find excuses not to give him the credit he deserves. I guess the next one will be that John Fox is an offensive guru.

(Jan. 12, 2004) -- An NFL team never drafted him, but now he\'s on the verge of leading his team to the Super Bowl. Before I get into why was it possible that the league could pass on this kid back in the 1997 draft, it appears that others have passed on this young man along the way. Of course, I\'m talking about Jake Delhomme, the Carolina Panthers quarterback who has to be considered the best offseason acquisition of 2003.

Born on Jan. 10, 1975 in Lafayette, La., the 6-foot-2, 210-pound Delhomme came out of Teurlings Catholic High School (his hometown school), where he was an all-state defensive back -- even though he threw for 6,703 yards and 65 touchdown passes.

Did he get a major college scholarship? There wasn\'t a Louisiana State University, Texas, Southern Cal or Florida in his decision-making process. So Delhomme headed to the closest college -- Louisiana-Lafayette -- to his home, where he was the only true freshman to start for the Division I-A school in 1993. He finished up his college career with 9,216 yards and 64 touchdowns. Delhomme was even a better college QB than he was a high school signal-caller. But the NFL draft came and went and no one thought he was even worth a seventh-round pick. I\'m telling you, NFL evaluators still don\'t know how to measure character, leadership and toughness properly. But along came Saints general manager Bill Kuharich, who offered him a free-agent contract.

Long before Delhomme was a household name, Kuharich would talk to me about this natural-born leader he signed after the draft. He said the kid had something magical about him. I once spoke with Kuharich after he had left the Saints organization and he told me, \"If ever I get another chance to run an NFL franchise, I\'m going to build it around Jake Delhomme.\" That was back in 2000 after a young Delhomme had a grand total of two NFL starts with three touchdown passes and five interceptions.

All Delhomme had ever asked for was a chance to start and that\'s why he chose the Panthers and head coach John Fox one week after he was granted unconditional free agency on Feb. 28, 2003. He didn\'t start in the opener this season, but Delhomme came off the bench at halftime and threw three touchdown passes to lead his team to victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Fox didn\'t get much consideration for Coach of the Year in 2003, but if you had considered his team being in the NFC Championship Game in only his second year and factored in the trust level he has in Delhomme, who hadn\'t started a game since 1999 and only threw 10 passes in three years before joining the Panthers, you might want to reconsider your vote.

What this story is about is how much Delhomme has grown since he got the chance to start. Unlike a lot of rookie quarterbacks who get thrown on the field as high-priced draft picks and crumble under the pressure and expectations, Delhomme just keeps getting stronger.

After that remarkable second half to launch his Panthers career, he was asked to be a caretaker of a team with a good running game and a solid defense. But from the first month of the season until the last month, Delhomme has become much more than that and the Eagles are his next stop along his incredible journey. Let\'s compare his numbers from the first month when his team won all four games to his last four games, which includes playoff wins over Dallas and St. Louis, the first- and 12th-ranked pass defenses in the league.

[NOTE - yeah, that stat above shows that in his first 4 games of the season he threw for 542 yards, 4 TDs, and 4 INTs. In his last 4 games (including 2 playoff games and two very good pass defenses) he\'s thrown for over 1000 yards, 6 TDs, and 3 INTs. Show me that kind of improvement from Brooks EVER - hell show me that kind of consistency out of Brooks ever]

Notice that the Panthers coaches now have him averaging 30 passes per game as compared to the 23 passes per game back in September. With those seven extra attempts per game, Delhomme increased his yards per game from 135 to 253. He has arrived as a legitimate NFL quarterback who can carry his weight and win games with his arm, if and when he has to. If Delhomme goes into 2004 as productive as he is ending the 2003 season, he will throw for over 4,000 yards and 24 touchdowns.

In an era where salary-cap issues, ages of players and the intangibles are all critical factors for a team, it is refreshing to see the Jake Delhomme story happen. As for Fox, it might be too late for the Coach of the Year award, but it\'s not too late for him to be named Talent Evaluator of the Year. The challenge Delhomme presents to the talent evaluators around the NFL as they watch the college all-star practices the next few weeks is to not let the next Delhomme slip through the cracks, or they might find themselves watching the playoffs on TV back home.

Geez 08, what in God\'s name were we thinking? Saintfan was right, we clearly only like the guy b/c we have an agenda. Oh, and Billy, remember all that crap you gave me about saying Delhomme will be a franchise QB? Well, apparently the former GM of OUR TEAM agrees... show me one who doesn\'t. Seems to me like an agenda has, in fact, been exposed. The BillyC/Saintfan Brooks-loving agenda. To quote a certain member of this board.... \"EXPOSED!\"

Manning and Delhomme the 2 highest rated passers in the post season ....

For those select few Delhomme bashers may I suggest :

Fried Crow

Can either fry on the bone or filet the meat. To tenderize the meat
you need to cook in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes at 10 pounds
or boil in water with a tablespoon of salt until tender to being stuck
with a fork. Remove the breast or filets from the pressure cooker or
boiling pot. Flour and shallow fry in a pan until golden brown. The
filets are great fun to pass off to your friends as chicken gizzards.

\"Americans play to win at all times. I wouldn\'t give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed.\" - George S. Patton
On another note, I\'ll take a bite of that crow 08. - Saintfan
Brooks is a moron!! - Halo

I do also think I remember seeing a stat that showed that he had the second highest QB rating in the league when his team was trailing... and what was it? 7 wins decided by three or less? 4-1 in overtime games this season, including a playoff game? I can\'t WAIT to hear how BC and the Sunshine Band crawfish outta this one.